4.23.2009

2 Week After Surgery

Today is two weeks after surgery and for the most part I'm starting to feel almost normal again. I have some minor pain discomfort from the two main incisions but other than that, I'm able to work out moderately. The best thing that happened this week is that I can SNEEZE without feeling as though I'm going to bust all my incisions open. I'm still unable to wear anything but comfy pants, meaning jeans are a no go, I haven't tried since Monday, so I'm hoping by this weekend I can.

The surgery it's self wasn't terrible. I went in around 7 am and we were home by about 2 pm and that was after stopping at drug store to get my pain medication, saltines and some mira lax. Of course I was asleep soon after I was in the operating room. While they were wheeling me into the room, the one nurse asked if I was feeling a little loopy and I said "oh yeah, big time" and she goes "your a cheap date!", that's all I remember till I woke up to the recovery nurse saying my name over and over again to wake me up. When I woke up I was very out of it, as you are from the anesthesia and I had major pain on my right side, but was so out of it the first time the nurse asked me I said I was fine, they were about to send me back to the room, and then she came back and I told her I had pain and she gave me some meds through the IV.

After I was back in the room of course I had to eat the ginger ale and crackers. I actually was told not to drink as much the first day because of all the IV fluids that were inserted into me and all the gas. Remember me saying that they insert you with a gas so you look 15 months pregnant.

Chris did a great job taking care of me! Thursday night he slept on the floor for part of the night because I was on the couch. That didn't last long though because I couldn't lay down because of the pain in my stomach and the pain in your shoulder. The pain you get from the gas goes right to your shoulder and it hurts bad. I was in tears and when I say tears, I mean hysterically crying. Chris was laughing at me, because he's never seen me cry that bad, which was pretty mean, at least I thought, but his reasoning was that he was trying to make me laugh. I ended up sleeping on the love seat cause I could sit up a bit. Pug was a good doggie and slept with Chris on the big couch.

Friday, the in-laws, sister in law and her boyfriend came down for Easter weekend. I did manage to venture to the grocery store with Chris on Friday, it was hard. But the best remedy to get rid of the gas is to walk it off. Friday night I slept again on the couch. Saturday was a bit better, mostly just laying around on the couch.

Sunday I finally managed to get my hair washed. We went to Easter dinner at my parents house. That car ride wasn't fun and I'm glad we didn't decide to drive 8 hours to Buffalo, because the hour half to Boyertown was long enough. I wasn't allowed to shower till Monday, so I was getting sponge baths. By Sunday night I was sleeping in the bed with pillows all around me. Another annoying thing was, I didn't sleep through the night in almost two weeks till Monday of this week. I was up about every 2 hours before. I went to Dr. Heller, the surgeon last Thursday to get everything removed and he said it all looked great. He told me that I need to take it easy for about 2 more weeks, but if I'm feeling good enough to do something, do it, and just do what I can do.

The worst part of the surgery is the shoulder pain really. Yes, the other incision hurt, but I can deal with that. The other part is the pain medications they prescribe block your system up and therefore mira lax becomes your best friend. The other part is introducing foods back into your system. It's like a game, either you win or your lose. If something is ok, your good. But if not, without getting into gross things, your in the bathroom right away is all I'll say. I haven't had much trouble with foods. The one thing I can't eat is yogurt. I get very sick when I've tried it, twice now. Fatty foods of course aren't my friend either.

Like I said I'm finally able to sneeze this week, it just sort of happened on Tuesday. I've started exercisingmoderately again. I'm getting there! I still have very minor pains and discomfort, but I have to remember that I had an organ part moved and other organs moved around and everything is settling back into place.